Sulfur is an essential element to many organisms. Sulfur is a component of various compounds essential to life including methionine, cysteine, the B-vitamins, thiamine, and biotin, amongst others.
Sources of dietary sulfur can include feed stocks with significant amounts of sulfur. As an example, some byproducts from ethanol production, such as distillers dried grains, may sometimes include significant amounts of sulfur. Sources of dietary sulfur can also include water that has significant sulfur content. In some geographic regions, groundwater can be contaminated with high amounts of naturally occurring sulfur.
In many cases, sulfur is ingested in the form of sulfate compounds. In the rumen of an animal, the sulfate compounds can then be converted by microbes into hydrogen sulfide.
Unfortunately, an excess of dietary sulfur (or dietary sulfur overload) can lead to various negative effects. Excess sulfur can result in restlessness, diarrhea, muscular twitching, dyspnea, and even death. Sulfur in the form of sulfide is a particularly potent neurotoxin that can rapidly produce unconsciousness and death. In the agricultural context, elevated concentrations of sulfur have been shown to result in reduced feed intake and diminished growth of animals.
Accordingly, a need exists for methods and compositions for mitigating dietary sulfur.